During a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), members of the STS-103
crew check out a portable foot restraint on the Flight Support System
that will be used on the mission, repairing the Hubble Space
Telescope. The seven-member crew comprises Commander Curtis L. Brown
Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith,
C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D), Claude Nicollier
of Switzerland, and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France. Nicollier and
Clervoy are with the European Space Agency. Mission STS-103 is a
"call-up" due to the need to replace portions of the pointing system,
the gyros, which have begun to fail on the Hubble Space
Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its
scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working
properly. The gyroscopes allow the telescope to point at stars,
galaxies and planets. The STS-103 crew will not only replace
gyroscopes, it will also replace a Fine Guidance Sensor and an older
computer with a new enhanced model, an older data tape recorder with a
solid-state digital recorder, a failed spare transmitter with a new
one, and degraded insulation on the telescope with new thermal
insulation. The crew will also install a Battery Voltage/Temperature
Improvement Kit to protect the spacecraft batteries from overcharging
and overheating when the telescope goes into a safe mode. The
scheduled launch date in October is under review.
(Photo Release Date: 09/02/1999
)

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